WASHINGTON – Sally Rosser claims she has been involved in Democratic Party politics down in Georgia since “before there was dirt.” It hasn’t always been easy.

“Georgia has been a desert for us for quite a long time,” acknowledged Rosser, who now serves as vice chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia. “Dead is not adequate to explain where we’ve been.”

But Rosser now maintains Georgia Democrats, and others across the South, are in the midst of “an extraordinary time.” Where the party faithful once felt they had no shot against a growing Republican juggernaut, Rosser and other now maintain a perceptible thaw is underway.

Georgia, the Empire State of the South, a place where Republicans didn’t dare run for almost a century after the Civil War but embraced the GOP form of conservatism 30 or more years ago, is not about to abandon the party of Newt Gingrich anytime soon. But it appears much of the state is now willing to at least listen to Democrats.

Two Democrats stand a reasonable chance of capturing statewide office in Georgia. Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn and the chief executive officer of the nonprofit organization Points of Light, holds a thin lead according to recent polling over any one of a group of Republicans seeking to replace retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Meanwhile, Jason Carter, a state senator and grandson of former Georgia governor and president Jimmy Carter, is nipping at the heels of incumbent Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, widely criticized because of his recent handling of an ice storm that virtually shut down the state.

“It was the most colossal failure of government ever,” Rosser said. “We are ready to elect a new governor of Georgia.”

Representatives attending the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting in Washington this week insist Georgia isn’t the only southern state displaying the slightest of cracks in the Republican wall.

Florida, according to Alan Clendenin, vice chairman of the Sunshine State’s Democratic Party, is “about to go Scott free,” with polls showing Charlie Crist, the state’s former Republican governor turned Democrat, maintaining an edge over GOP Gov. Rick Scott. And a Democrat leads in a race to fill the unexpired congressional term of Rep. Bill Young, who died in office.

Even Mississippi, perhaps the reddest of the red states, is exhibiting modest Democratic Party gains, at least on the local level. Last July, Tupelo elected its first Democratic mayor in 28 years, giving Jason Shelton almost 60 percent of the vote.

“No one thought that would ever happen,’’ said R.T. Rybak, the former mayor of Minneapolis and a member of the Democratic National Committee.

In Virginia, Democrats recaptured the governorship last November along with two other statewide offices. Both of the Old Dominion’s senators are Democrats.

And then there is Kentucky, where President Obama received 38 percent of the vote in 2012. Polls show Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes leading Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has served 30 years in the upper chamber.

“The polls show President Obama is more popular in Kentucky than Mitch McConnell,” said Mo Elleithee, the DNC’s communication director. “You know what else is popular in Kentucky? Obamacare.”

DNC officials attribute the perceived gains to the rising influence of the Democratic Party’s “constituency groups” – African-Americans, single women and, most particularly, Latinos, a segment of the population that continues to grow in the South.

“This rainbow is the South,” said Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a committee member from South Carolina. “There are opportunities here.”

I think a large part of the South moving slightly to the left isn't due to people changing their minds, but due to people migrating in from their economically devastated states on the coasts or in the rust belt to our low regulation, low tax, few unions prosperity. I have a friend from New Jersey who moved to Texas. He hates NJ politics and public policy but every election he votes Democrat, for the same policies that ruined NJ for him. Myself and others have tried to explain this illogic to him, but his mind is set, logic be d*mned.

We also remember in the South which party in violation of their own laws and Constitution burned and starved and killed our ancestors without mercy. Don't think a hundred plus years have made it a dead issue. Our strong conservative views and Reagan's charm helped us be able to vote for that party, but only so much as it holds onto conservatism and Reagan's optimism.

We also have plenty of people who only know being poor. As far back as anyone in their family can remember they've been poor farmers and laborers with barely enough education to get by. There is plenty of opportunity around them, and many of them are really smart and capable. If one of them tries to get ahead, they are likely to hear, "Don't put on airs." "Don't get uppity." "Don't get a big head." by their friends and family. I heard people say such things about my father and his college education. While most of them are too proud to take handouts or charity, there are a few who don't mind free government money or voting to get more of it.

Quote: The polls show President Obama is more popular in Kentucky than Mitch McConnell,” said Mo Elleithee, the DNC’s communication director. “You know what else is popular in Kentucky? Obamacare.” DNC officials attribute the perceived gains to the rising influence of the Democratic Party’s “constituency groups” – African-Americans, single women and, most particularly, Latinos, a segment of the population that continues to grow in the South.

In other words, if Democrats and liberals can wreck larger and large segments of Southern society, they've got a chance to grow. Let's see what that means in practice:

1. Feed anger, fear, and racist attitudes among African-Americans like they once did among whites.

2. Increase out-of-wedlock babies and divorce to grown the number of single moms living in poverty.

3. Pretend to care about Latinos and dupe them like the party did poor whites in the South for about a century.

Note that, according to the Democratic party officials themselves, to grow in the South, the party must wreck Southern society and the Southern economy. It has to be the party of misery, suffering and pain.

It's the policies of co-dependency. The gift of entitlement crack that keeps on giving.

Government as Audry III. FEED ME!

Democrats are pushers to the poor, the lazy, the stupid and the corrupt. Gangsta Government. Where the PARTY never stops. Treason, tyranny and totalitarianism. The greatest place on earth, to practice for a life in hell.

Democrats & Republicans talk, talk, talk. But neither of them ever talk about the real problem: the totally out-of-control U.S. American government bureaucracy. No word from Democrats or Republicans about how the city, county, state & federal bureaucracy, interlocked & unionized, is the single biggest reason why government at all levels is so corrupt & inefficient. AFLCIO prezzy Richard Trumka quit working for the coal-miners and started organizing government bureaucrats. Did you know AFSCME is the largest membership under the AFLCIO umbrella? Did you know there are 24,000,000 U.S. citizens now employed as bureaucrats? Gov. Scott Walker curtailed the growth & power of Wisconsin bureaucracy. Why haven't Democrats & Republicans both joined him? Something is rotten dead and stinking in the leadership of both parties. Look at the numbers in the lower right-hand corner of this chart" http://www.usdebtclock.org/ Government bureaucracy is the BIGGEST employee group in the nation. And what do the bureaucrats produce? Nothing but tyranny & trouble for the rest of us.

Ya Ya, it's hopeless, come out with your hands up, there's no point in even trying any longer, no matter what you do it will only get worse, and on and on and on. I call B S. There is no difference in this "news" article than any of the standard Progressive Psy Ops "news" organizations hammer us all with 24/7. PJ Media should be embarrassed to even give this defeatist surrender monkey crap a voice. I'll let you know when it's over. It ain't over.

First, we have to fight to get the Republican party to stop allowing registered DimocRats, or those that just changed their affiliation from (D) to vote in the Republican primary. Seriously, what dumb$h!t implemented that kind of rule for the GOP, a DimocRat?

Then, the Republicans need to stop nominating DimocRat-Lite Republicans for President. It didn't work in 2008 nor in 2012. The last time anyone even remotely close to being Conservative was nominated by the GOP was Reagan. It's time for another Conservative (R) to be nominated.

What the Republicans need to understand is the Democrats are more than willing to lie to get a vote. The only way to beat them is to watch their words closely and then call them when the lies come, and I didn't say if either, but when.

Is it wishful thinking to push for a one-party state? If the Dems wish to waste money on the south then so be it. Thats money that could go to other more meaningful races (to them) they will lose in the long run.

In case you haven't noticed, we are already a one-party state. You only have a tiny fraction of ALL those in the House and Senate that are actually fighting to slowdown the expansion of the Marxist Federal Government.

All of the DimocRats and the "leadership" of the Republicans are both of the same mind, and are determined to expand the size and scope of the Government to no end. The only thing the before mentioned State-ist party fights over is who is going to be in power in order to administer it.

I just voted in the Texas Republican Primary and I can assure you that vigorous opposition to expansion of the size and scope of government is present in state and local races. Typically there will be an establishment candidate with the support of the chamber of commerce, realtors, police, etc. and one or two candidates with Tea Party type support. The establishment candidates don't have enough support to avoid a runoff. In the runoff, the more conservative Republican has a good chance of winning.

You have no idea who I am or what I have done or am doing, so you can choke on it.

No conservative candidate has been nominated since Reagan. So when your party nominates one I'll be there voting for them.

Oh, yeah that's right, the DimocRat party has just as much say as Republicans do in your primaries these days. Guess we won't see a Conservative nominated any time soon with those kind of people making the decisions.

Both Wisconsin and West Virginia are moving from Democrat strongholds to states where Republicans can win big. Republicans are also gaining strength in Michigan. Republican governors have shown success at balancing budgets by cutting spending instead of raising taxes. Hard to argue that it's impossible to cut spending when Republicans at the state level show that can be done. Just waiting for some of those successful state leaders to show Washington how to balance a budget.

I can name several blue states that are going bankrupt. California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Connecticut, all solidly blue and the worst state economies in the Nation.

Tell me, how long do you think West Virginia will remain any shade of blue, when Obama and his EPA are killing the economy there by shutting down the coal industry? You think those now unemployed workers are going to thank him for it?

WV used to be owned by the dems. It was as pro-union as any place could be.

Now the pro-union stuff is pretty limited because the national bosses backed the guy who's shutting down coal. Oh, WV is THE LAND of the 'bitter folks who cling to their guns and religion." It is a place so steeped in the challenge of existence that babies still count for something, and neighbors (who might not know or like each other) help each other as a matter of habit and pride. Don't think the miners haven't noticed the pipeliners. Don't think for a moment that they have short memories or are stupid. There's plenty of energy in WV coal ALONE to power the entire U.S.for the next 300 years.

And don't think that the state that sends a greater proportional share of its people to serve don't understand whose interests they've actually BEEN serving the last five years, or that they don't know they're being screwed by this administration and congress. Oh, yeah, there's LOTS more.

Hey, you stupid progressives, Wisconsin got real red with its new Governor. F imam Obama hadn't disenfranchised half the nation by attacking the Tea Parties with IRS, we would be redder. If you lefties think 2014 is going your way, think again. Why don't you all go to Cuba and North Korea. They need your advice and you wouldn't have to worry about elections either.

Unless / Until we get a REAL "opposition" party, that will actually USE the Constitutional tools available to them to FIGHT the increases in debt, and the expansion of the Marxist State, there will be little we as Americans can do to even slow it down. The elections are rigged and routinely stolen by the DimocRats.

The sackless, DimocRat-Lite GOP, too afraid to even speak the "I" word and even attempt to destroy members of their own party who dare to make a stand on anything, has given Obama and his Marxist Regime the green light to do whatever they want to do the next 3 years.

Until we get A political party that will actually stand up and fight AGAINST the DimocRats, instead of agreeing and going along with them, we are doomed as a nation.

Democrats are highly organized: the leadership and the base are united in their rent-seeking. In contrast, the Republican establishment in Georgia has utterly alienated a large portion of its base. The Chamber of Commerce and the Republican leadership are so busy bedding leftists on school and amnesty issues that they are openly warring with the grassroots -- to the point of funding fake-coalition nonprofits to attack the Tea Party as extremist.

It is the Republicans' race to lose. And yes, they can, given the current hostility emanating towards ordinary voters.

I dumped the GOP just after the 2012 Romney embarrassment. The GOPe and their "leadership" hate the Conservative/Tea Party base, those that are left, more than the DimocRats even.

The GOPe is very content in losing the next few elections, if they are able to get rid of the Conservative portion of the party in the process.

I am through supporting a political party that hates me as much as the Marxist DimocRats do. Stop funding the GOP, and stop voting for DimocRat-Lite Republicans. They will not IMPROVE anything in Washington. They have proven that beyond any doubt over the last 30 years.

Great idea, wrong election. This is why we have primaries. Also angry as you are you have probably not ever attempted participation in party politics other than voting. The party organization is open to us too. Also it will both surprise you and probably moderate your opinion on the people involved, if not their opinions. You will find that the local party guys are always looking for people to get involved.